Randolph County sheriff candidate charged with election crime
HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A candidate for Randolph County sheriff faces a misdemeanor crime involving his campaign.
Special prosecutor Corey Moon charged William H. Barger on Wednesday with a class four election offense. The prosecutor claims Barger promised voters he would cut his salary if elected. State law prohibits candidates from doing so "as an inducement to voters."
Barger is one of three people running in the August primary as a Republican for the seat.
A probable cause statement in the case from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office said county clerk Will Ellis had received complaints about Barger's campaign. The statement includes scanned documents of what appear to be a campaign flyer and a newspaper article promising to take a pay cut if elected.
Barger told ABC 17 News he was unaware of the state law when he made those comments. He said he would hire an attorney, but disputed the notion that he tried to "induce" any voters when he said he would take a pay cut. Barger said he felt taking a pay cut would be the right thing to do in order to reinvest it into the sheriff's office.
Moon, the Knox County prosecutor, did not return a request for comment on Wednesday,
Three judges have recused themselves from the case so far. The Supreme Court of Missouri has been asked to appoint a judge to the case, according to online court records.
Barger is running against Chris Wertz and Aaron Wilson on the August ballot. Michael Hopper is running for sheriff on the Democratic Party nomination.
